India versus Australia 2nd ODI: 5 players who led India to victory

India held their nerves to register a thrilling 8 run win in the second ODI played at the VCA Stadium, Nagpur on Tuesday. It was an exciting match as the contest swung from one side to another before the Virat Kohli led side clinched the match in final over.

Australian captain Aaron Finch won the toss and decided to field first. Thanks to Kohli’s 116, Vijay Shankar's quickfire 46 off 41 balls, and Ravindra Jadeja's 21, India posted the score of 250 in 48.2 overs. In reply, the Australian openers made a great start putting on 83 runs for the opening wicket before Indian spinners troubled the visiting batsmen.

Marcus Stoinis was involved in two important partnerships with Peter Handscomb and Alex Carey. Jasprit Bumrah bowled a brilliant over to dismiss Nathan Coulter-Nile and Pat Cummins in space of three deliveries to give India a chance of winning the match. Shankar proved his credentials by picking the important wicket of Stoinis and then Adam Zampa to give India a thrilling win.

Here we look at the four players who were crucial in the win.

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#1 Virat Kohli

India v Australia - ODI Series: Game 2

Virat Kohli came to the crease after the loss of Rohit Sharma’s wicket in the first over itself. The Indian captain looked solid with his approach on a tough wicket. He reached his fifty off 55 balls and put the pressure back on Australian bowlers.

Kohli and Shankar added 81 runs for the fourth wicket which steadied the innings. As wickets fell at the other end, Kohli continued to guide the Indian innings and reached his 40th ODI century off 107 balls. He was finally dismissed for well-made 116 by Cummins.

His innings led India to 250 in 48.2 overs. He took singles and hit boundaries at regular intervals. It was an amazing performance by already one of the greatest batsmen in ODI cricket.

#2 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav was brilliant with the ball for India. Defending the target of 251 runs to win, the left arm chinaman broke through by dismissing Australian captain Aaron Finch.

Yadav then got the big wicket of Glenn Maxwell to put pressure back on the Australian team. Alex Carey and Marcus Stoinis were on the course of a win with 47 runs needed before Kuldeep took the wicket of Carey. He finished with figures of 3 for 54 in 10 overs.

Kuldeep Yadav has been the go-to man for India and would be hoping to continue his brilliant form in the upcoming three matches against Australia.

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#3 Jasprit Bumrah

India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah was among the wicket takers against Australia. He gave away 28 runs in his 8 overs, before coming in to bowl in the 46th over, Bumrah delivered by dismissing Coulter-Nile and Cummins in an over to bring back India into the game. In his last over, Bumrah gave away just 1 run which made life tough for Australian batsmen.

He finished with figures of 2 for 29 in his 10 overs which shows his value for India in ODI cricket. Bumrah's brilliance led India to put enough pressure on the Australian team and left visitors with 11 runs to spare.

Bumrah, the number 1 ranked ODI bowler in the world, will play a key role in the upcoming 2019 World Cup to be held in England from 30th May.

#4 Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar proved his credentials with both bat and ball. He came at the crease after the fall of Ambati Rayudu’s wicket and made a quick-fire 46 off 41 balls. Shankar and Kohli added 81 runs for the fourth wicket.

With the ball, defending 11 runs, Shankar took the important wicket of the well-set Marcus Stoinis for 52 and then dismissed Adam Zampa to help India register a thrilling 8 run win. His all-round contributions might have sealed his ticket for World Cup 2019 squad. Shankar will gain lots of confidence with this contribution.

Shankar had also contributed decently in the fifth ODI against New Zealand when India was struggling at 18 for 4. He could be a back-up all-rounder for Hardik Pandya.

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#5 Ravindra Jadeja

Ravindra Jadeja contributed vital runs lower down the order with 21 runs. With the ball, the all-rounder took the important wicket of Shaun Marsh to put pressure on the Australian batting line up. He finished with figures of 1 for 48 in his 10 overs.

He produced a sensational run out to dismiss the well-set Peter Handscomb which changed the course of the game. His value as a fielder in the Indian team is great. Jadeja is also a decent bowler and makes the batsmen struggle for runs.

The competition for the remaining slots for World Cup 2019 is growing. Jadeja performed decently in this ODI against Australia. He created a run out from nowhere and made India believe that they can win the match.

With three more matches remaining, Jadeja would be hoping to perform and stake a claim for World Cup 2019.